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The Powers That Should Be
Present Day For so long it had been a forgotten world. On the very edge of unexplored space, the hollowed out husk of a planet known as Bara Magna had hung, encircled by a curious cloud of celestial dust and adorned with two glistening, colorful moons. It had dangled against the ebony backdrop of cosmic emptiness. It truly was a world left ignored by passing spacecraft and shuttles for thousands upon thousands of decades, one that had grown desolate in neglect. It seemed the destiny of Spherus Magna to always have two moons. When it had gone by a different name it had been orbited by two satellites, both natural. Two gems in the evening sky that had aroused the curiosity and wonder amongst Agori spectators for centuries, one emerald, the other sapphire. Aqua Magna and Bota Magna. The Great Ocean and the Great Jungle. There for as long as most denizens of Bara Magna could remember. Or at least as long as they had cared to look up in search of escape from their wasteland of a world. But much had changed in the past two years. Aqua Magna and Bota Magna no longer bejeweled the night sky. They had plummeted towards the surface, merging with the rock and the sand, flooding the new world with oceans and untamed forests. Land that was once sterile had been swept away by a tidal wave of vegetation and abundance. Now the celestial body was reformed. Spherus Magna, as it was so aptly named by its original inhabitants. Yet, in spite of all that had changed, the planetoid remained encircled by two satellites. One red. One green. Neither natural. The crimson dot in the evening sky had perplexed the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe for some time. Its existence had challenged the brightest stargazers in Ko-Metru for millennia, belonging to no particular constellation and situated in such forensic alignment with the Matoran Universe that it could only be dismissed as one of those bizarre cosmic coincidences. A mathematical impossibility. A geometric anomaly. A question which had continued to vex the scholars and seers of the frozen district even as the Vahki directed them into Matoran Pods. Whether or not the true function of the Red Star was known to the average citizen remained unclear. Its significance had simply slipped from the cultural knowledge, leaving it to hang broken in the sky, nothing more than an oddity for travelers gazing up at the clouds, little-knowing of what transpired beneath its surface. The other satellite was significantly smaller in scale. Unlike the Red Star, this one had an irregular orbital path, looping around the planet at a rate that was yet to be measured. It was too small to blot out the intense glare of Solis Magna when aligned. Too small to be observed by most telescopes. Too small to have a noticeable influence upon the planet’s ocean currents either. It was a solar peculiarity, roughly spherical in shape, presumed - by Spherus Magna’s most esteemed astrologers – to be a rogue asteroid caught in the planet’s gravitational pull. It would likely be catapulted out of orbit by its erratic pattern. Perhaps that would have been the case had the past four minutes transpired differently. The activation signal had pulsed from the planet’s surface beyond the range of normal visibility; a beacon reaching out to the stars from the northern hemisphere. While the source was unclear it managed to stop the emerald satellite in its tracks. For a brief moment, Spherus Magna had two geostationary moons. The signal continued to emanate from the surface, palpitating across the unfathomable emptiness to find the emerald husk nearly 300 mio above its source. Wires and circuits now began to buzz silently beneath the frozen shell. Systems that had been dormant for two years started to power up again. The interior had been completely unaffected by the harsh environment of space. The armored casing had preserved the essence within. First there was confusion. This was by far the most unusual climate he had awoken from slumber in, drifting slowly through space, gently suspended by the gravity of a strange new planet. Bizarrely, it was not one that he recognized. Perhaps he had floated further down the solar system. Slowly but surely, the memories came flooding back as his neurological pathways opened up again. Aqua Magna had been the final one to flicker across the being’s mind before the emergency shutdown system kicked in as he departed the atmosphere. While the planet was larger in shape, this was very much the most recent home of the Matoran Universe, the hollowed out structure of which currently lay broken and dismantled along the equator, visible even from this distance. When last he had woke, he’d been given a specific mission objective: to neutralize a group of Toa who impeded the progress of his kind in their efforts to bring about Mata Nui’s re-awakening. Needless to say, he had failed in that undertaking, though records indicated that the overarching operation had been successful. Others had succeeding in his absence. That was mildly reassuring, though it did leave the orbit-bound being curious as to the origin of the reactivation signal. What possible need could there be of an elite warrior such as he if the task was completed? A pair of electronic diodes lit up on either side of the being’s headpiece, indicating the release of a muted sigh of frustration. His existence thus far had been a litany of orders from those who sought to misuse his incredible power. It was immensely irritating to watch a world such as Spherus Magna crumble into chaos before him when he had the power to stop it. Truly he could be in no better position to put the interlocking world to rights than from above. Perhaps this was finally it: the time for action. The satellite remained stationary, awaiting instructions. No response. “Right, I’m sick of this shit,” grated the Lehvak-Kal. With one final glance at the planet’s surface, the Bohrok Kal of Vacuum dug deep within himself and drew the strength to begin his latest task. No sooner had the command been sent from his Krana Kal, his two Vacuum Shields projected out from his shell, bringing with them a miniature shower of ice debris that was swept away into the solar abyss. They activated instantly, using their breath-taking powers to create forward momentum. The last remaining of the six Bohrok Kal began to rocket forwards, his sensors locked upon the planet’s horizon. As he drew nearer, the force of the vacuum increased exponentially. He hurtled forward at a velocity surpassing even that of an experienced Kakama-wearer, thundering through the upper limits of the waking world’s exosphere, roving from west to east and completing a full lap of the planet. But his journey did not stop with a single loop. The Lehvak Kal’s velocity increased further still, circling Spherus Magna a second, then third time. His speed continued to rise, reducing his physical form to an emerald blur, circling the planet in a matter of seconds with supersonic momentum. Slowly but surely, the oppositional forces began to take an effect, counteracting the rotation. For a long moment, Spherus Magna appeared to hang in its position in exactly the way that a brick would not. Then it finally began to turn once more, this time in alignment with the vacuum funnel. The velocity continued to build. With every rotation Spherus Magna spun faster in the opposite direction, gradually building up speed as it spun the wrong way across on its tilted axis. Flames billowed from the Lehvak Kal’s emerald form, creating rings of plasmatic intensity. The desired objective would be achieved. Of this there would be no compromise. On the surface, Matoran and Agori alike huddled together in horror as their world began to pick up speed, whirling around and around until it threatened to catapult them off entirely. Trees, rocks, and vapour were hurled into space. Faster and faster, as if the massive megalith of ocean and bedrock were a ball at the mercy of a whirlpool. Continents blurred and separated, merging into one as the very forces of time came unravelled. The retracting world was spinning at such velocity that history was playing upon its surface with impossible speed. The planet reversed entirely, reverting back further and further into its murky origins as 10,000 years of antiquity were re-enacted backwards. All will be clean. All will be as it once was. As Spherus Magna unravelled its tapestry of time, nothing could deter the Lehvak Kal from his mission of holy righteousness. The fundamental building blocks of this world were at the mercy of his design. He would revert the planet to the dawn of his own creation then strike while those who had so irrevocably tainted his world were still in their infancy. With one final rotation, the Lehvak Kal began to decelerate, his speed adjusting with mechanical, forensic caution. The slightest fraction of an inch off-canter and the axis would become unstable. It would be no use saving the future only to destroy Spherus Magna in the process. At long last, the indistinct shapes of great landmasses became visible as the rotational effect diminished. Spherus Magna, as it had been so many eons ago, began to decelerate, spinning to a perpetual lull. It hung for a long moment, pausing as if to decide whether or not to keep on spinning, or to hang in that instant forever. In the end it began to grind back in its original direction, the magnetic poles taking charge once more as the guiding force of rotation, almost as if the planet had rejected the laws of physics entirely. Sensing that these were optimal conditions to carry out his mission, the Lehvak Kal altered his flight path, skirting the upper limits of the atmosphere, a trail of burning solar dust followed him as he arced towards the surface of the startled planet below. A hollow rushing sound filled the Bohrok Kal’s audio receptors as oxygen began to bite. Friction began to build up, threatening to crush a lesser being beneath the pressure. For him, the impact was dulled down considerably. Bohrok were designed to survive in the hostile climate of space. That was why they had a hive mind; to communicate in an environment where words were a useless currency. Their armored shells were airtight, able to withstand incredible pressure and adverse temperatures on either end of the spectrum. He was on fire. The whole world was on fire. The very air was breaking up and crackling from the heat. He had become a fireball. He was in the heart of a living hell and yet he plummeted from the heavens, a final savior bringing divine justice upon the waking world. A final champion from the skies. De-activating his forward thrust, the Lehvak Kal switched the direction of his Vacuum Shields, now using them to act against his death-defying speed. The golden planet seemed to shimmer through his lenses, allowing the Elite Bohrok to see nothing but blank, unending paleness as far as his vision would allow him to. There was evidence of civilization dotted here and there, strewn randomly across the surface. A couple of buildings and structures, some fairly elaborate, some simple dwellings for the hordes of mechanical workers that concerned themselves with the glistening metal man far off in the distance. Lehvak Kal knew exactly where he was going. With an almighty CRASH, his emerald form tore through the stone ceiling of the desired building, bringing with it a spray of dust and debris, punching a jarring hole into the doubtlessly ancient structure with enough force to level a mountain. Even from above, the Lehvak Kal had scanned and assessed the contents of the grand chamber. His battered husk struck the marble floor with such tremendous force that the delicate surface shattered beneath him, yet the Bohrok was already upon his feet again, charging towards his target with the conviction and eloquence of a Manas Crab, his bulbous red eyes fixed on the being that stood perplexed before him. Before a word could be uttered, the Lehvak Kal’s headpiece protracted forward, ramming into the face of his target. The unfortunate figure cried out in shock then reeled back. The force of the blow had struck him square in the Kanohi, which now hung dislodged from his face, the magnetic clamps broken by the sheer force of the assault. A second strike ensured the mask was knocked clean off his face. “I know not who you are,” murmured the flummoxed victim, “but it takes only the smallest Protodite to insult a dead Rock Lion.” “Submit,” grated Lehvak Kal. His headpiece flipped open. With the targeting mechanism locked-on, the Krana Kal was flung from its casing, attaching itself to the unfortunate Po-Matoran. The struggle for resistance was brief and his captive’s eyes swiftly dulled under the possession. “Awww snap,” grated Velika from behind the Krana Kal. ---- 10,000 years ASHGD (10,000 years After Shit Has Gone Down) Teridax, enlightened Makuta of Velika Nui, gazed at the body sprawled before him in the sand with puzzlement. "Ahh, the infamous Toa Tuyet," he remarked with something a little too close to wonder. "I knew her by reputation. How do you reckon she met her demise, my young companion?" Takanuva, Toa of Shadow, peered up from the stone tablet he was furiously scribing upon to examine the body himself. "Her head is missing." "Astute observation." "I don't know," mused the young detective-in-training. "Decapitation." "A swift but unfitting end," remarked the Makuta. "How were you able to identify this Toa without the head?" The Makuta turned to fix his chronicler with an icy stare. "Because I have been a player in this gambit of a business since before you fiddled with your first Lightstone in Karda Nui." The Toa of Shadows clamped his mouth shut and returned to his writing. No doubt he would not include that last part in his final report of their investigation. "Regardless, I doubt this will be the ultimate end of our ill-fated fellow," remarked the Makuta. "She will no doubt be back to exact her revenge upon--" "But she's dead," snapped the Toa of Shadows. "Her head is physically removed from her body." "Oh my dear, sweet, young Takanuva," purred the Makuta. "How many centuries have you been in my employ now?" "About three weeks." "And still you doubt my deductive skills." "But -- she's not coming back," frowned the Toa. "She's dead, and the Red Star was destroyed centuries ago--" "She will find a way," countered Teridax. "She always does. Such is the way of this particular Toa." The two stood in silence, inspecting their crime scene with forensic attention. "So many questions left unanswered," sighed the great Makuta, musing over the scene of devastation before them. "And here we are, at the end of it all. At the end of an empire. On the precipice of a brand new world." The Toa of Shadows perked an audio receptor, still chiseling away with fury, documenting every word the Makuta uttered for their report. "There are a great number of mysteries left unsolved, many gaps in our understanding of this bizarre and wonderful universe. But perhaps that is the way the Great Spirit Velika intended our world to be; one of myth and wonder. Perhaps the lesson is not to strive towards stars that are hopelessly out of reach, but instead to build a better tomorrow on the world that we already do have. Perhaps this, my dear friend, is the way-- " "Hoe, don't say it--" "--of the BIONICLE®." "Oh my God."